Reporting medical malpractices in UAE gets easier

The UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has called on the public to report any medical malpractices through its smart channels.

Customers can file complaints against private health and pharmaceutical facilities and their staff through MoHAP's website.

Once the complaint is received, the Ministry’s Control, Audit and Inspection Department contacts the complainant to confirm the receipt of the report, and request the medical file from the concerned health facility.

Complaints are usually referred to the Medical Liability Committee for investigation and evaluation, and then a report is submitted to the Ministry's Health Practices Control Committee to take appropriate action and inform all parties concerned with the results of the investigation.

The electronic process allows users to track their complaints from the first stage of submission until they are fully investigated.

The parties involved in the complaint can also appeal the findings by the Medical Liability Committee within 30 working days based on Federal Decree Law No.4 of 2016 on medical liability.

In this case, the challenged reports will be referred to the Higher Medical Liability Committee for re-investigation and once the report of the higher committee is completed, it will be submitted to the Health Practices Monitoring Committee to take the necessary disciplinary action against the health facility and the suspected staff.

Dr. Hessa Ali Mubarak, Director of the Control, Audit and Inspection Department, emphasised that private health facilities are constantly monitored by competent authorities to ensure that no malpractices are committed.

In case any medical errors are detected, they could face penalties and fines and even total closure in certain cases.